News Release

ST. PETERSBURG TO BREAK GROUND ON FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT CENTER JUNE 27

New Facility Aims To Increase Financial Literacy and Health

St. Petersburg, Fla. (June 23, 2017) – The City of St. Petersburg will break ground on a new Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) in the Campbell Park neighborhood of south St. Petersburg, 1201 Seventh Ave. S. on Tuesday, June 27, at 11 a.m. Mayor Rick Kriseman, city officials and community leaders will lead the ceremony, taking place on the northwest corner of Seventh Ave. S. and 12th St. S.

United Way Suncoast will operate the FEC through funds received from the Duke Energy Foundation. The City of St. Petersburg is providing the land along with infrastructure and utility hookup. St. Pete’s empowerment center will have a special focus on how children can build financially-healthy habits. In addition, the FEC will be a VITA/EITC (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Earned Income Tax Credit) location, providing financial literacy workshops and counseling, as well as workforce training and development opportunities.

Said Mayor Rick Kriseman: “Improving the financial literacy and financial health of our residents is a smart investment. My thanks to the National League of Cities for recognizing St. Petersburg's efforts to fight poverty and help our most vulnerable citizens. I also want to thank the United Way Suncoast for operating this outstanding program, and Duke Energy for their support. I am looking forward to joining them, and the people of Campbell Park, when we cut the ribbon on this new center.”

St. Petersburg is among eight cities across the nation competitively selected to participate in the National League of Cities’ Financial Inclusion Systems and City Leadership (FISCL) initiative. Municipal financial empowerment strategies are efforts undertaken by cities to increase the financial stability of low-income families. Financial empowerment centers link vulnerable households to financial services, public benefits, and community programming - and provide them with tools to build assets and manage money more effectively.

Future empowerment center programming will support Healthy St. Pete, a citywide community engagement and empowerment initiative partnering with local community leaders to improve health outcomes by tackling health factors like economic and social factors. Financial literacy is considered to be a health factor.

Located in the Campbell Park neighborhood, the Financial Empowerment Center will open in the fall, 2017.

About the City of St. Petersburg Urban Affairs Department: The Urban Affairs Department is deeply rooted in the City’s vision and exists to perpetuate increased opportunity for St. Petersburg’s disenfranchised. The work of Urban Affairs, under the Direction of Mayor Rick Kriseman, Deputy Mayor Dr. Kanika Tomalin and Director Nikki Gaskin-Capehart unfolds across four quadrants of focus, each reflective of the Administration’s priorities for South St. Petersburg: Opportunity Creation, Nurturing Neighborhoods and Families, Connecting Through Cultural Affairs, and Catalyst for Commerce.

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